The Blush Factor

by Gun Brooke

  “You…oh, God, you smell so good.” Addison groaned. “And the way you touch me is…oh, Ellie…”

  Eleanor could hardly comprehend how she, normally so restrained, could become so greedy and devour Addison like this. Somewhere in the hazy state she was lost in, she could tell what this did to the woman in her arms. Addison’s strong hands gripped Eleanor’s shoulders and held her close as she offered her neck.

  “So beautiful.” Eleanor ran the tip of her tongue all the way up to Addison’s lips, which she covered with hers. This time they both deepened the kiss, tasting, dancing, and claiming each other. Eleanor slid her hands slowly up and down Addison’s arms, feeling how this movement created goose bumps. Intrigued, she drew patterns along Addison’s neck and then tangled her fingers in the long, curly ponytail.

  Just then, Addison shifted angles and deepened the kiss even further. Eleanor whimpered into Addison’s mouth and tugged involuntarily at the ponytail she gripped so hard now. Her fingers trembling, she undid the clasp holding Addison’s hair. Addison in turn pushed her fingers into Eleanor’s much-shorter hair. They both hummed now, Eleanor knowing full well she’d never responded like this to anyone. Ever.

  Loud steps on the staircase outside the living room door and two voices laughing as Stacey and Maureen approached tore them apart. Their separation caused pure physical pain, and Eleanor had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from wailing in despair.

  “Mom, Maureen’s dad is here to pick her up,” Stacey called out as she poked her head in, along with Maureen. Eleanor saw Stacey’s eyes widen as she regarded them. The girl was clearly no fool.

  “Say hello to your parents, Maureen,” Addison said, sounding way too out of breath to just be sitting and chatting on the couch.

  “I will. See you! And it was nice to meet you, Ms. Ash—I mean, Eleanor.” Maureen blushed and waved before the two girls disappeared out the door.

  “Oh, God. That was painful.” Addison pressed a hand against her forehead.

  “What?” Eleanor wasn’t sure what to think of Addison’s choice of words.

  “Letting go of you when I heard them on the stairs. It was painful to break the kiss. It’s just that…” Addison fiddled with the hem of her shirt and then glanced at Eleanor through her eyelashes. “I wasn’t done yet.”

  Relieved and still out of breath, Eleanor chuckled. “Yes, it was painful. And I wasn’t done either.”

  “Oh, good.” Addison tugged at her undone hair, which escaped the clasp once again.

  The front door opened and closed again. Stacey was back. Eleanor patted down her hair, belatedly of course, as Stacey had already seen her looking tousled. Oddly enough she didn’t really care all that much.

  “Maureen and her dad on their way home?” Addison asked.

  “Yup. We had a great time. How about the two of you?” Stacey grinned.

  “This was a wonderful evening. Thank you. It’s time for me to go home.” Eleanor knew she sounded too formal, but Addison didn’t seem to mind.

  “Yes, it was great. More than great.”

  Stacey came closer, and now Eleanor could easily detect the sparkles in her eyes. “Maureen thinks you’re fabulous, Eleanor. So do I.” She grinned and rocked back and forth on her feet, her hands shoved deep into her back pockets. “I look forward to Tuesday.”

  “I’ll see you at eight a.m. at Face Exquisite’s executive level.”

  “Is it hard to find?” Stacey asked, which made Addison laugh.

  “No, honey. It’s the top floor.”

  “Ah. Of course.” Stacey giggled. “That’s so my thing. Going straight to the top.”

  “You silly goose.” Addison rounded the coffee table and put her arm around Stacey. “I’m glad you and Maureen had a good time too.”

  “Yeah.” Stacey extended her hand to Eleanor. “I’m going to head off to bed. Good night.”

  “Good night, Stacey. See you next week.” Eleanor squeezed the girl’s hand, only to be taken by complete surprise when Stacey took a quick step forward and kissed her cheek.

  “I really like you,” Stacey whispered in Eleanor’s ear and then hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

  “Oh, my goodness. That was quite the stamp of approval.” Eleanor knew this evening would go down as a night of “firsts” for her.

  “I’ll say. Stacey isn’t easily impressed. She’s very outgoing, but she’s also very protective.”

  “I can’t say I blame her. You’re her family. I’m relieved she likes me.”

  “I’m very relieved you like me.” Addison winked and took Eleanor’s hand. “Let me walk you to your car.”

  Genuinely charmed by an overtly flirtatious Addison, Eleanor resumed holding her hand after donning her jacket and grabbing her purse. Just as they reached the front door, Addison stopped abruptly. Tugging at her, Addison maneuvered them until Eleanor felt the wall against her back. Eleanor dropped her purse, stunned as she flung her arms around Addison’s neck. Gasping at the sensation of full breasts pressing into her own, she breathed hotly against Addison’s ear. “Oh, my.”

  “I just have to…” Addison kissed up along Eleanor’s neck, following her jawline and then her lips.

  Eleanor pushed one hand under Addison’s shirt. Moaning, she found naked skin at the small of Addison’s back and spread her fingers to feel as much of it as possible. Addison’s skin was like silk, and Eleanor slid her fingers lightly, lightly over it, and again, goose bumps flared in their wake.

  Addison sucked Eleanor’s lower lip and ran the tip of her tongue across it until Eleanor whimpered with every breath. She dragged one of her hands to Addison’s front. The increased intimacy was enough to make Addison tear her lips from Eleanor’s and look unwaveringly into her eyes.

  “Can’t get enough.” Addison drew a hot line with her tongue down Eleanor’s neck and, oh God, across to her collarbone, nudging the crisp shirt to the side with her nose.

  “Seems I can’t keep my hands off you either,” Eleanor said, out of breath. She spread her hands again, this time reaching from Addison’s waist up to her ribs. “What spell have you cast on me? I’d like to know how you can wield such magic.”

  “No magic. Just this. Us.” Addison trembled. “And you…you’re so freaking gorgeous and you feel so good—ah!” She nipped at Eleanor’s collarbone and then soothed the spot with more kisses.

  Eleanor moaned quietly and had to force herself to remember they weren’t alone in the house.

  “That’s right, we have to be quiet,” Addison breathed against Eleanor’s skin.

  “Oh, God. If we don’t stop, I don’t think I can be quiet.” Eleanor reluctantly moved her hands away from Addison’s tantalizing skin. “I should go. I mean, I have to go. I’m going.” Damn it, she was babbling. Talk about feeling like an entirely different person. Eleanor Ashcroft was normally eloquent and precise and certainly didn’t babble.

  “You’re right. Of course you’re right. I need to let you go.” Addison stepped back, then bent and picked up Eleanor’s purse. “Here you go.” She, much like Stacey had before, shoved her hands into her back pockets. “I’ll miss holding you as soon as you leave. I just want you to know that.” She dragged her left foot in a small circle on the rug. Peering at Eleanor she managed to smile and bite her upper lip at the same time.

  “Addison.” Feeling choked up, Eleanor briefly kissed Addison’s soft cheek. “Good night.”

  “’Night, Eleanor.”

  Eleanor opened the door and nearly tripped as she hurried toward her car. She was afraid to turn around and see if Addison was there. If she was, she wouldn’t be able to hold herself together. As she pressed the button for the central locking system, she dared to glance back at the front door of the cozy house. Addison stood on the porch, leaning her hip against the column above the steps. The streetlight combined with the moon gave her an eerie, but beautiful, glow. She waved as Eleanor got into the driver’s seat, then walked back into the house.

  D
riving home to Manhattan and her penthouse, Eleanor experienced their caresses and kisses over and over. How could life change within just a few minutes? Truthfully, her life had changed long before tonight. The moment she’d first had laid eyes on Addison’s beautiful face and when they met that first time, something had simply fallen into place; she just didn’t realize it at the time. She doubted she would ever be the same again. Now, all she could think about was how Addison had felt against her, how her scent had engulfed her and fueled her arousal even more. The physical arousal wasn’t all though. She had actually talked about Priscilla, something she hadn’t done for years. Addison had listened so intently it had been easy, all of a sudden, to tell the horrific details of Priscilla’s suicide attempt. Just gazing into the nonjudgmental eyes and seeing nothing but compassion and understanding had loosened Eleanor’s usual inhibitions.

  Addison had no ulterior motives for what she said or did. She was genuine in a way that Eleanor had forgotten existed. In her cutthroat world of corporate warfare, it was always a mistake to show any weakness or bare your throat. Now, she had done just that with Addison, and something wondrous had come from it. It seemed Addison truly desired her. Then again, she was more than twenty years her junior, from a very different background, and, not to forget, a young woman who knew who she was, sexually speaking. It still astonished Eleanor to discover how her libido soared and all because of Addison. Why had she never felt this way around another woman? Had she merely stowed any such emotions in the back of her mind and refused to acknowledge them, or was this all because of Addison and the effect she had on her?

  Eleanor didn’t know, and right now questions like this didn’t seem important. What mattered was how Addison made her feel. Falling head over heels would likely break her heart. Eleanor had witnessed this firsthand, over and over, regarding her aunt.

  The thought of Priscilla and her ever-present desire to find the right one to love gave Eleanor pause. Priscilla had believed she felt as strongly about the men she fell in love with as Eleanor felt about Addison now. And look how that had all turned out. She needed to keep this chilling thought in mind.

  Gripping the steering wheel tighter, Eleanor tried to tell herself she needed to tread very carefully. She wanted to trust Addison, but witnessing her own parents’ cold relationship as well as how men had treated Priscilla didn’t make it easy to drop her guard. She would need a few days to regroup before they talked again.

  She pulled into her garage, where a valet took care of the Maserati. Riding the elevator up to her penthouse condo, Eleanor convinced herself that Addison would have an even bigger reason to be cautious when facing so much on the home front with Stacey’s upcoming surgery. Surely she wouldn’t have time for any relationship drama when her sister had to come first. The more Eleanor thought about it, the more she decided it was only logical to assume Addison would feel the same way about taking a step back.

  Entering her penthouse she tossed her jacket on a chair, suddenly feeling fidgety and nervous. She wasn’t accustomed to ever having a case of nerves, so she walked into the kitchen and fetched a tall glass of apple juice. To be honest, she’d rather have poured herself a whiskey, but drinking alone to soothe her nerves was never a good idea.

  Impulsively, she strode into her study and booted up her desktop computer. Perhaps Addison was online, and if she wasn’t she might get some work done. Eleanor chuckled self-deprecatingly. That, or watch one of Addison’s YouTube clips. She groaned and rested her forehead in her hand. She was a fool.

  She was just about to get up when the trademark signal indicating a chat message pinged. Addison.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Addison saw Eleanor log on and knew her actions could be seen as needy or clingy, but she just had to make sure they were all right.

  After Eleanor drove away, Addison had entertained a series of thoughts and scenarios. Of course, her mind had given her a hard time by conjuring up one pessimistic outcome after another. She’d said good night to Stacey without allowing her to ask any questions.

  It was obvious Stacey was dying to ask about her and Eleanor, she could see it in Stacey’s whole demeanor, but it was too soon. Too fragile and…she realized that she had too many questions herself. Taking her courage in both hands, she began to type.

  Blushaddict: Hi. Glad to see you made it back in one piece.

  There was a brief delay and then Eleanor answered.

  Valkyrie: I did. Just got home.

  Blushaddict: Thank you for coming. We loved having you over.

  Valkyrie: Thank you. I had a lovely evening.

  Blinking against a burning sensation behind her eyelids, Addison paused with her fingers hovering above the keyboard for a moment. That sounded awfully polite. Too polite.

  Blushaddict: Are you all right? Are we all right?

  Now it was Eleanor’s turn to delay answering.

  Valkyrie: I’m fine.

  Blushaddict: Do you regret kissing me?

  Addison’s heart thundered, but she figured she better find out up front if Eleanor was seriously regretting what had gone on between them.

  Valkyrie: No. Not at all.

  Relieved, but only partially, Addison sighed, frustrated with this faceless, voiceless way of communicating.

  Blushaddict: I wish I could see you. Can we use voice and webcam? Or do you have work waiting?

  Another pause, this time so long, Addison wondered if Eleanor had left the computer or perhaps received a phone call or something. It was already past eleven o’clock, but who knew when people did business overseas?

  Valkyrie: All right. Let me switch to the laptop and get ready for bed.

  Bed? Oh, God. Addison’s fingers trembled as she typed her reply.

  Blushaddict: Okay. I’ll do the same.

  She rose from the kitchen chair and took the laptop with her as she made sure all the lights were off and the door locked before she headed up to her room. Once there, she remembered how she never had gotten around to showing it to Eleanor.

  Addison took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and went through her nightly makeup-removal routine. She then pulled on one of her favorite sleep T-shirts. This one was a Grateful Dead tour T-shirt that had belonged to her father. At times she could almost smell his aftershave wafting from it, no matter how many times she’d washed it. She scooted up on her bed. As if Eleanor moved at the exact same pace, the Skype logo appeared. Addison clicked on the part that said “Answer with Video” and waited for the webcam to hook up.

  Eleanor came into view, and it was no surprise to see her dressed in a stylish nightgown. What did make Addison gasp and her jaw drop was how said nightgown clung to Eleanor’s form and how sheer it was. It wasn’t exactly see-through, but it sure wasn’t covering much up either.

  “You trying to kill me?” Addison managed in a husky voice.

  There was something dangerous, almost reckless, about how Eleanor moved the laptop closer on the bed. She grabbed what looked like a remote from her nightstand and clicked a button. The light in the room instantly dimmed. “Not at all. Why do you ask?” Eleanor tilted her head.

  “Because of that…that…” Addison motioned toward Eleanor’s nightgown. “That thing.”

  Looking down at herself, Eleanor smiled faintly. “So, I take it you approve of my nightgown?”

  “You can take it any freaking way you want. I’m just going to focus on not fainting over here.”

  “You’re one to talk with that ghastly, barely-even-there T-shirt.” Eleanor’s eyes narrowed. “It’s almost threadbare.”

  Addison mimicked Eleanor and looked down at herself. “I think it covers what it needs to cover.”

  “It barely covers anything.” Eleanor waved her hand emphatically. “How can you say otherwise?”

  “Again—it covers what it needs to cover.”

  “It does not.”

  “So you can tell if I’m going commando or not?” Addison smiled angelically.

  Eleanor g
asped and shook her head. “You’re going to be the death of me. I know it.”

  “Likewise, if you keep showing up on Skype dressed like that.”

  Eleanor hesitated, looking down on something off camera, a regretful expression ghosting over her face. “I was going to suggest we, um, back off a bit,” she said throatily.

  Addison’s heart landed in the center of her belly with a thud. The burning sensation in her eyes returned, worse than before. “Why?” she asked, her voice hardly carrying.

  “I hadn’t counted on…this. On how we’d end up in a virtual hurricane just from a kiss.”

  “And you regret it.” It wasn’t a question. It was obvious. Addison wanted to end the Skype session instantly, but she felt frozen. She was about to cry, but she’d be damned before she broke down and wept like a child in front of Eleanor.

  “No. No!” Eleanor finally looked up, an alarmed expression in her eyes. “I said I was. All it took was for you to ping me, for me to see a message that ‘Blush’ wanted to chat with me, and I tossed the idea of backing off out the window. It’s not going to work.”

  Confused now, Addison swallowed hard against the threatening tears. “What’s not going work? Us? What?” she managed to ask.

  “Backing off isn’t going to work.” Eleanor spoke slower, enunciating every syllable. She was pale but looked determined, if somewhat unsettled. “I’m not prepared to let this, what we’ve found, go. Not without exploring what it might lead to. I admit, I find it intimidating, but…you know.”

  Addison did know. “Yeah. Don’t scare me like that. I thought you were ending what we might have before we even had a chance to fully discover it.”